Oklahoma– After defeating the Detriot Pistons 123-110 on Friday, Russell Westbrook recorded his third consecutive season averaging a triple-double.
Westbrook is a player that gets overlooked as the top five players in the NBA right now. He plays on both sides of the ball and is very hard to stop in transition. His speed and the way that he attacks you and the rim is like he is playing with a purpose and a chip on his shoulder.
OKC’s head coach Billy Donovan said his triple-double streak isn’t receiving the attention it deserves. “I think the fact that he has done this three years in a row, people don’t understand what has happened, in my opinion. And I’m shocked that they don’t talk about it. And I know they’re numbers, and I get all that stuff, but in terms of the historic part of the game, people are going to look back in time, and I think what he has done will be more appreciated later on than it is right now,” said Donovan.
Westbrook has the most triple-doubles in the league in a three-year span, which is 98 and overall he has notched a whopping 135 triple-doubles. All of these achievements and yet everyone is talking about his wins in the playoffs. The Thunder have been to the playoffs eight times and only been to the finals once and that was in 2012.
After a great first half of the season, OKC struggled to win games against teams under.500 in the second half of the season and now they are fighting for their playoff seeding. As it stands OKC will be the #7 seed in the Western Conference and will face #2 Denver Nuggets.
With three consecutive seasons as the triple-double king, what does Westbrook have to prove to his critics that he deserves to be in the conversation as one of the best in the league?